Abbasi urges all stakeholders including military, judiciary to find way forward

RAWALPINDI: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday urged all stakeholders including political parties, military and judiciary to sit together to find a way forward for the country. 

Speaking to journalists outside the anti-corruption department office in Rawalpindi, the veteran politician said the February 8 election has become pointless and it was the political leadership’s job to make them impactful, Geo News reported.

Referring to the allegations of denial of a level playing field to certain political parties, he expressed fear that the general elections 2024 would lead to further chaos in the country.

Former PM Abbasi said the election should not be made controversial, as elections were a revered process and making it controversial would damage the country. Pointing towards alleged rigging in elections, he said the system did not work in 2018 and neither will it work now.

He said the three largest parties of the country had failed to deliver as neither of them had the solution for the problems. He also predicted that more than one political party would be formed in Pakistan soon.

Abbasi said he is not contesting elections but is still active in politics and would decide about forming a new political party after the elections.

Abbasi asked who would hold the National Accountability Board (NAB) and other anti-corruption institutes accountable as they had become the country’s most corrupt organisations.

“Today people ask if the world is making progress then why is Pakistan declining in development graph? Since, 1947 every election has been stolen. The masses are disappointed of the election process. You still have time to make this process uncontroversial,” he said.

On a case about embezzlement in the Ghora Gali and Marri Road projects against him, the ex-premier said the notice meant for him was sent to his spokesperson instead of him, which was a way of harassing a politician in the election process. How someone who’s not even contesting elections was being treated then imagine how the one contesting the polls would be treated, he said.

He said he was accused of giving a contract for the construction of two roads to his favourite persons. When he asked the department, it said the roads were not even constructed, he said.